I work in the industry, and have for a while. I've grown more jaded about my own work and employer but gaming and games are still two things I'm passionate about.

While I'm interested in industry news I find the comminity a little intimidating sometimes, so I don't post on forums or update blogs that much. Sometimes it just seems like more stress than its worth. But on occassion certain topics make me want to speak up.

Actually, I have mixed feelings about them. But after seeing (but not actually reading/viewing in their entirety) all the recent hubbub about them I just wanted voice my own opinions on the matter - after not posting for a long while - as they have a special place in my heart.

I do not want people to stop asking that they be made, funded and supported in greater number, nor do I wish the current style of "just fun" games to stop being made either. I like having fun just as much as the next person. However there are a good number of unique, interesting and moving ideas out there that could probably utilize the video game medium much more than they have been able or allowed to up until now.

Money, as is often the case, is a very large deciding factor, I think, in whether or not an idea will become more than just an idea. Art games are risky. Maybe that is our own doing. We are still stuck on the roads paved by those who came before us. But that does not mean we can't find newer routes to travel.

Working for a large company I know what its like to see the same type of games made year after year, and the reasons for not branching out into new IPs is always the same. They never seem financially feesable to those with the power to put money towards a project. I personally think this is a poor excuse for saturating a market with the same old song and dance, and then acting surprised when people complain about the industry stagnating and games becoming boring.

All it takes its one game, one big company to take the risk. Movies have gone down this road time and time again and from what I've seen, games have been seeking the same recognition and respect that the film industry has, for years. If they want it they need to work for it and take the risks.

I'm not saying the road to video game glory will be paved with "art games" but I do think adding them to the roster in greater number and with greater support is a step in the right direction. It would take some extra planning and caution, but I think it can be done if only a company like EA or Activision were willing to make the leap. And I really do mean leap. Baby steps have been made, but nothing close to what can really be done.

There's a lot to consider, more than I or most average gamers know. Games are a business, and times are harsh. I can only hope that the querky little art games I love will be more available and more supported in the future.

If anyone knows of any cool art games out there please let me know! 'Specially if they're free... I'm so poor... :(